Well, as we come to the book of Daniel, the book we were just in for our scripture reading, I ask you please to turn with me to Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 2, page 1019 in the Pew Bible. Daniel chapter 2, picking up at verse 1. I'll read the first 23 verses. Daniel chapter 2, 1 to 23. As we have this familiar account of Nebuchadnezzar's first dream and Daniel's interpretation of it, please notice with me what we read. Daniel 2, 1 to 23. We read the words which say. Now, in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Then the king gave the command to call the magicians and astrologers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king, and the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream. Then, the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream and we will give the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, my decision is firm. If you do not make known the dream to me and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made an ash heap. However, if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore, tell me the dream and its interpretation." They answered again and said, "'Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.' The king answered and said, "'I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm. If you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore, tell me the dream and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation." The Chaldeans answered the king and said, There is not a man on earth who can tell the king the king's matter. Therefore, no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It is a difficult thing that the king requests and there is no other who can who can tell it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh. For this reason, the king was angry and very furious and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So, the decree went out and they began killing the wise men and they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them. Then, with counsel and wisdom, Daniel answered Ariok, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He answered and said to Ariok, the king's captain, Why is the decree from the king so urgent? Then Ariok made the decision known to Daniel. So, Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation. Then, Daniel went to his house and made a decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret. so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, so Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and might are his and he changes the times and the seasons. He removes Kings and raises up Kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness and light dwells with him. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you. For you have made known to us the King's demand." Before we come to the book of Daniel tonight and our survey of the Bible, let's once again pray. That's the Lord's blessings on our time. Let's pray. Our Father, we are very thankful again to find ourselves in your house this night, listening to the Word, singing the Word and praying the Word. And we thank you, Lord God, for your mercies to us and that you have ministered to us throughout this day. You have fed our souls with the finest wheat of your truth. But Lord, we're here tonight and we still need to hear from You. So we ask, O God, that You would come by the Spirit and that You would break open the bread of life and feed our needy souls. O God, we look to You in this hour to do us good, to strengthen our hands so that we might walk well before You all of our days. Give them grace, we pray. Empower us for the things before us. We ask them all in Jesus' worthy name. Amen. History tells us that from May to September 1787, the American Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to develop a system of government for the new nation. We're told that by June 28th, unfortunately, progress had been very slow, and that Benjamin Franklin stood and addressed George Washington, who was president of the convention. Among the other things that he said, he did say the following words, quote, I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs in the affairs of men. Now, although Benjamin Flankelin was not a professing evangelical, he was a man who believed in a God who was the governor of the entire universe. He believed in a God who, despite present appearances, was in control of all things. Well, friends, as most of you know, this is what the central theme, the central message of the book of Daniel is all about. Despite the fact that the Judeans were in exile and despite the fact that they found themselves in a horrible situation, this book over and over again sets forth the fact that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob rules above all others. Now, what a comforting message this must have been for Daniel's original audience. I mean, indeed, their situation was bleak, And in exile, it must have appeared like the great powers of the world, such as the Babylonians, the Medes, and the Persians, it must have appeared like they were in control. However, friends, this was not the case at all. Though there were many earthly kings and rulers, there was one king and ruler above them all, even Jehovah Himself. Now, because this matter of God's sovereignty is the major theme of the Book of Daniel, it makes it one of the most exciting books to read in all of the Bible. This Book of Daniel is filled with much of our God and His rule above all things. And throughout its pages, we see our Lord working out his plan among the nations and among individuals to the end, that no man could stay his hand nor say, what have you done? Well, as we come then for this evening to consider This thrilling book, which I trust with the blessing of God, will produce much faith and fortitude in us as God's people. I ask you to note with me first the book's background and setting. The book's background and setting. Now, as I said, the book of Daniel was a book that was written by Daniel, and it mostly describes the events that occurred during one of the worst situations that the old covenant people of God had ever experienced in their lives. This book spans that period of history among God's people, which is known as the Babylonian exile, whereas the nation of Israel had fallen to the Assyrians about a hundred years earlier because of their rebellion against God. Now it was time for this to happen to Judah by the hands of the Babylonians, because the nation of Judah continued to refuse to heed God's message of repentance because of their sins. She would now face a humiliating defeat by the Babylonians. Well, this is exactly what happened. And so on three separate occasions, beginning in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar took captives from Judah to Babylon, and among the first to be taken were Daniel and his companions. So, what do we know specifically about Daniel himself, whose name means either God is my judge or God the Judge. God is Judge or God is my Judge. What do we know about Daniel? Well, the first thing we must know is that Daniel is, Daniel was rather, a man of great piety. he was a man of great piety. Daniel, who may have belonged to a high-ranking family and possibly even a member of the royal family, as we read in chapter one in verse three, was a very godly man who was described in this book as beloved of the Lord. Daniel is described in his own book as a faithful man who had an excellent spirit, a man in whom there was no fault. As a matter of fact, Daniel was so godly that the prophet Ezekiel mentions his name no less than three times and regarded him as such an outstanding person that he made reference to his name alongside of Noah and Job. What I think is so great about Daniel's piety is that it seemed from his very earliest of days. One thing that we must keep in mind, brothers and sisters concerning Daniel, is that when he was initially taken captive, he was taken captive somewhere between the ages of fourteen to 19, and this is really significant because it teaches all of us, especially you young people among us this evening, that it is absolutely possible to live for God in a pagan world without compromising His truths. Listen, dear young people here tonight. While in fact the context in which you are growing up is spiritually bad, Daniel gives you an excellent model for how you could live in a God-glorifying way because his situation was very similar to yours today. I mean, Babylon could be considered the ancient Hollywood of its day. This place was filled with people who hated God and who had loose morals and low standards for living. Well, despite these things, Daniel did not cave in to the pressure. Daniel refused to be conformed to the spirit of his age, and rather, he stood firm for his God. You see, dear young people, Daniel didn't just say, let me just go along to get along. No, rather, he didn't compromise his beliefs at all. No, rather, Daniel was a man of principle. He was a man who was more concerned to please his God than to please those who did not know the Lord. Indeed, Daniel gives us all an excellent model to follow, but especially, again, you young folks, dear young people here tonight, you teens especially, study Daniel's life and yes, dare to be like him. Secondly then, Daniel, we should note concerning his person, he was a man of politics, politics, not only a man of prayer, but a man of politics. Daniel served in the government for about 60 years and he was a counselor or an advisor to four kings, two Babylonian kings and two Medo-Persian kings. So, Daniel was involved in governmental work. He was a statesman who was very learned and he rose to be the prime minister of Babylon by God's doing. Let me just say as a side note here that in my opinion there's nothing inappropriate about God's people being elevated to positions of responsibility and trust by an ungodly government. Personally, I believe that Christians should be involved in politics just as Daniel was and Joseph before him. Friends, we need God's people in high places. And even if they cannot prevent evil in government, they certainly could influence it for good and for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thirdly, then, Daniel, we must know, was a man of prayer, was a man of prayer. And again, in this, Daniel serves as an excellent model for all of us as God's people of all the wonderful prayers that are listed in the Word of God. Some of the greatest prayers happen right here in the book of Daniel one searches his book chapter two chapter six and especially chapter nine and chapter ten. they will see that it is filled with examples of Daniel praying. Now is there any wonder why Daniel was considered such a godly man? Of course not. He was a godly man because he prayed often. As he sought the Lord, God worked in him greater desires to live holy and God helped him to be holy for all that he faced in his life. Daniel was committed to this means of prayer because he believed in the mighty power. of prayer. Fourthly, then, concerning Daniel, we should say that he was a man of prophecy. Prophecy. Not only piety, not only politics, not only prayer, but he was a man of prophecy. Now, the book of Daniel, as most of you know, David said it tonight, divides itself equally into two halves. The first half being mostly history, the second half being mostly prophecy. Now, God revealed many things to Daniel by way of visions and dreams and in a true sense we could say that what the Book of Revelation is to the New Testament, the Book of Daniel is to the Old Testament. The Book of Daniel foretold many future events, many of which had already been fulfilled by the time our Lord Jesus Christ had come on the scene. So again, to recap concerning Daniel, for those of you taking notes, he was a man of piety, a man of politics, a man of prayer, and a man of prophecy. Now, there's one last thing that I want to say under this heading before we move on concerning this book of Daniel, and it makes the book quite unique, and it is that this book was originally written in two different languages, namely Aramaic and Hebrew. About 157 verses of Daniel are written in Hebrew and about 199 verses are written in Aramaic. So why is this? Well, although various theories have been offered, the most logical proposal is that the use of these two languages was deliberate by Daniel, of course, under the direction of God. When God would have Daniel communicate certain truths to his Hebrew brethren, such as things pertaining to his kingdom and his future plans for them, God had Daniel right in the Hebrew language. However, when God through Daniel wanted to give a message to the Babylonians and the Persian people who, of course, spoke in Aramaic, their language was written in Aramaic, things that would speak to the world empires, etc. God caused Daniel to write his book, that half, in Aramaic. Secondly then, consider with me for this evening, some of the major themes of the book of Daniel, some of the major themes. What are they? As I said in the outset, we have the major theme of the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God. Pick up the commentators, pick up the surveys that are out there on the Bible, and you will see, hands down, they all say that this is the major theme of the book of Daniel. The sovereignty of God. As I mentioned earlier, one does not have to turn too far to see that throughout the book of Daniel, he's setting forth God as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He's setting forth God as the ruler and the sovereign potentate above all others. Despite how things look for the Judeans, Daniel tells his fellow Jewish citizens that God, not a man, but God is king over all. He is reigning from his throne. You could make sure of that. This is Daniel's message to his people and friends. What a very important message this is for us in our day to heed, especially in light of so much turmoil all around us, on every level. You know, sometimes we can forget, even as God's people, we can forget who's really running things down here on earth and we can get discouraged. Sometimes we can forget who the true monarch of the universe is and we can get depressed when we look at our circumstances and we consider various world events, but friends, Daniel saw things very clearly, and as we study his book, we will begin to see things clearly as well. Dear ones, despite what we read on the Internet and despite what we're told on the radio, etc., we must never forget the simple fact that our God reigns. Our God is King. He's working all things after the counsel of His own will. We could rest In this awesome fact, God is king over the world and all will answer to him. In this book, we see three things about God's sovereignty. First, we see his unrivaled sovereignty, his unrivaled sovereignty as God effortlessly controls all human events, including the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms. Secondly, we see his unrestricted sovereignty His unrestricted sovereignty as the work of his hand rules universally. And thirdly, in this book, we see God's unending sovereignty, his unending sovereignty, because his divine supremacy over all things will never weaken. It will never be relinquished. It shall continue days without end. So again, brothers and sisters, let's keep these things in mind. Especially, as we come to another election, we think what's going to happen, who's going to be put in office, et cetera. All the things in various places throughout the world going on. Christians could get nervous. They could wonder what's happening. God's in control. God is the great king. Second major theme, then, in this book is that of God as judge over all. Judge over all. Now, we see this first in Daniel, chapter four, when God struck down the proud heathen monarch, even Nebuchadnezzar, for his boasting as he was strolling about on his magnificent palace. Nebuchadnezzar, as you recall, was completely humiliated by God and driven from his kingdom to dwell among the beast. And he ate grass like the oxen. Well, secondly, then we see God is the great judge of all in Daniel, chapter five, when during the feast of Belshazzar, the handwriting appears on the wall. You remember the scenario, of course. Belshazzar had ordered at the feast that the silver sacred vessels that had been brought from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, that they be brought out and that they be filled with wine and that a toast be made to the pagan idols of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. Of course, the Lord would not have this and so while this event was taking place, judgment fell as the fingers of a man's hands appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the walls in the king's palace. Well, as the writing appeared, we read that the Kings and his belt shazars of countenance change and his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his hips were loose and his knees were knocking against each other. Well, like Nebuchadnezzar had done in the past, so also Belshazzar called for the leaders in our rather among the Calvins to interpret the meaning of the writing on the wall, but none could. So then Daniel was called to interpret it And Belshazzar was told several things. He was told that his kingdom was numbered and that it was about to be finished. He was told that he was found weighed in the balances and found wanting. Therefore, his kingdom had been divided to the Medes and the Persians. Well, as you know, this is exactly what happened. The king was slain by the Persian army and the city was taken that very night. Third major theme of the Book of Daniel. is that of God as the revealer of secrets. God is the revealer of secrets. Now we saw this in chapter 2, the chapter that I read in the beginning, and the point of the matter is, friends, that all wisdom, all knowledge, all insight comes from above. What none of the wise men of Babylon knew, Daniel knew, by God's doing. Fourth major theme in this book, is that of God's faithfulness to deliver his people out of difficult circumstances. His faithfulness to deliver his people out of difficult circumstances. Now, of course, we see this over and over again in the book of Daniel, and it's an awesome thing. God delivers his faithful servants in time of trouble. God delivered Daniel from the lion's den. He delivered him and of course his friends from the fiery furnace. And he delivered Daniel from evil men who sought to do him in time and again. And friends, one thing that we must always keep in mind as Christians in this regard is that our God is still the same way for his people. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. Our God works on our behalf, and He has promised that whenever we find ourselves in the furnace of affliction, that He will stand with us and rescue us. Dear ones, our God tells us in Hebrews chapter 13 that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and this is an absolute truth. The Lord says to us in Isaiah 43, verses 2 and 3, that when we pass through the waters, He will be with us. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow us. When we walk through the fire, we shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch us. Why? For He is the Lord our God, the Holy One of Israel, our Savior. Well, what a great encouragement this is. Amen? God is with us. God has promised to deliver us. Jesus says, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the age. Well, 15 then. Perhaps it's not a major theme, but certainly it's an important theme, and it's that of resurrection. Resurrection. Now, I mention this because perhaps the clearest and most positive reference in the Old Testament to resurrection actually shows itself in the book of Daniel, chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, and I ask you to turn with me there in your Bibles. Daniel 12, verses 1 and 2. We jump into a part of a larger section concerning a vision that was given to Daniel. It began in chapter 10. But here we read Daniel 12, verses 1 and 2. At that time, Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people, and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered. Everyone who is found written in the book, verse two, and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. So here again, as I said, we have one of the clearest references in the Old Testament to the matter of resurrection. And of course, this is a doctrine which our New Testament absolutely affirm. And it's glorious to see it here, because sometimes people ask you, is that just a New Testament doctrine? It's not. It's all throughout the Word of God. Now, this verse, the verse I just read for you in 12.2, Among other things that it shows us, it certainly points out that there will be a resurrection of all men, the just and the unjust, and that it will also happen at the same time. You can note that also. It's not going to happen one at one point and then another one a thousand years later. No, it happens all at the same time. Of course, this is when Christ returns. But what I want you to really note here is that the passage here, as it's given to Daniel and his original audience, would have been a special incentive to them for living, for them rather, living godly lives, right? What these Judeans needed to be mindful of was that one day, just like all other people, they would stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. They would come from the grave. And they will give an account for the deeds done in the body, whether they are good or whether they shall or whether they were evil. So again, Daniel is pressing this fact, letting the people know those who knew their God, they shall live forever and ever. But to those who were ungodly, they will be an experience everlasting. They will experience rather everlasting contempt. And of course, we know Paul in the New Testament, as he speaks about resurrection, he says that because there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust, he says, therefore, I exercise myself always to have a good conscience before God and men. So. This point here again of resurrection is important because it shows us in the Old Testament that this is a fact that all men will rise from the dead when Christ returns and that those who know the Lord will go be with him in glory and those who don't know the Lord will be sent to everlasting perdition. And here, let me just give a word to any among us who are not Christians this evening. Dear friends, listen, death is not the final word. Death is not the final word. One day, according to the Bible, when Jesus returns, if you have died already, you will be brought out of that grave, both body and soul. And because you are not saved, Jesus will say to you, depart from me. I never knew you. Into the fire which burns with brimstone. So this matter of resurrection should be that which terrifies you, my friend. Because you think, oh, in this life, Finally made it through and Jesus didn't return. He didn't judge me. I'll die and that'll be it. That won't be it friend. There's coming a day when you will come out of the grave. You'll stand before Christ and then all eternity will be sealed for you. My friend, if you don't know Jesus, now's the time to know him. Young person, older person, whoever you are, today is the day to know the Lord so that when you die or when Christ returns, you can know for sure that you will be with him who is the Savior of every sinner who comes to him by faith alone. Secondly, then, under this heading is the matter of the purpose of the book, the purpose of the book. Why was it written? Well, in summary, we can say that it was written to give a historical account of the faithful Jews who lived in captivity and to show how God was controlling the events of the world, ordering all things for the care of his people. As we discussed, God's chosen people had been conquered and dispersed by a mighty empire So the question at hand was, what will happen now? Had God forsaken his promise to his people, would the Babylonians, rather, would the Judeans remain under the Babylonian oppression for all time? Would God's people ever see their homeland again? Well, the book of Daniel answers all of these questions on a positive note. And the obvious purpose of the book was to encourage the weary hearts of the exiled Jews. The time would come when God would once again gather his people to himself. God would bring a faithful remnant back to the land of Jerusalem. And this is something we'll discuss in the days ahead as we take up the minor Prophets. Thirdly then, consider with me this evening the key verses in Christology in the book of Daniel. Key verses firstly. What are they? There are several. I ask you to note with me first Daniel chapter 1 and verse 9. Daniel chapter 1 and verse 9. And as I read through this book again this week, I just pulled out some of my favorite verses. Daniel 1 and verse 9. There are so many. But here in the opening narrative, we have Daniel and his friends not defiling themselves with a portion of the king's delicacies. They said we'll obey Moses instead of what the pagan king had offered to us. We won't eat this pagan food. Verse 9. Now, God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. I just think it's important there to see that God is the one who gives us favor. God gives us favor. It was God's doing. God brought him favor before those whom he stood. Now, God brought Daniel into good favor. We must be mindful of this, brethren. And I often pray, Lord, give so-and-so favor at his interview. Give so-and-so favor in the midst of that discussion that they will have with others. It is God who gives us favor before those that we must be brought before. God gave Daniel favor. Notice next, verse 17 in this chapter. Verse 17. As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. So again, besides just God giving us favor, He gives us understanding. He gives us knowledge. And for these things, we should praise His name. God is the author of these good gifts that we receive, brethren. And again, we ought to always acknowledge this to Him. Notice next Daniel 2, verses 24 to 28. Daniel 2, 24-28. As Daniel explains Nebuchadnezzar's first dream, we read the words which say, Therefore, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation. It's kind of interesting here that Daniel has real care for these men. Isn't it interesting? Let me get to the king first. Don't destroy them. He valued human life. Then Ariah quickly brought Daniel before the king and said thus to him, I have found the man of the captives of Judah who will make known to the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belchazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation? Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But notice verse 28. But there is a God in heaven. who reveals secrets and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these. I love it. He says these guys couldn't do it. However, there's a God in heaven. There's a God in heaven. And again, brethren, let's come back to this fact in the midst of all that we experience. Hardships, heartaches, difficulties, etc. There's a God in heaven. There is a God in heaven, and we must never, ever forget this. Notice next, Daniel 3, 14 to 18. Here as we break into that narrative of the golden image that Daniel and his friends were commanded to worship, commanded to bow down at. Daniel 3, 14 to 18. Here is Nebuchadnezzar gives them one more opportunity, just one more opportunity to do this. Notice Daniel 3, 14. Nebuchadnezzar spoke saying to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? Now, if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre and psaltery in symphony with all kinds of music and you fall down and worship the image which I have made good. But if you do not worship, You shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? What a question that is. Who is the God who will deliver you from my hands? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. There's no need for us to even speak, they say. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King. But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Now you talk about some key verses, here it is. If he delivers us, great. If he doesn't, it doesn't matter. Either way, we're not going to worship your idol. We're not going to do it. You see the resolve in these young men? I mean, this is just awesome. This is beautiful language in the Word of God. Godly young men saying, we won't do it. Come what may, whether he delivers or not, King, know this, we will not bend to your will. Notice next, Daniel 4. 34 to 35, Daniel 4, 34 to 35. After Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation, because of his proud heart, we read the words which say, And at the end of time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever. Why? For his dominion is everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain his hand or say to him, What have you done? Now, this is a interesting passage, because here we have this pagan king giving praise to Jehovah. And this has given rise to many to ask the question, if in fact Nebuchadnezzar was a true believer, right? People have asked that question. We were just talking about that last week, a few of us. I'd like to have a survey to see who says he was a believer and who says that he was not a true believer. Matthew Henry, by the way, says that he was a true believer. Calvin says that he was not. I've got to say personally that having thought about this week, I agree with Calvin, actually, because it seems to me that although Nebuchadnezzar was a believer in Jehovah, It doesn't mean that he believed in Jehovah exclusively as his own Savior. To simply confess God's sovereignty and rule over all things is not to confess him as the one true and living God and that all others were false. I believe Nebuchadnezzar saw Jehovah as a great God who reigns supreme, but then he had, you know, twenty or thirty other gods that he would worship as well. So, to me, it seems that he probably was not a true believer, yet acknowledge this God as being one who was sovereign over all things. Lastly, turn with me to Daniel chapter 9. Daniel chapter 9. To be honest, the first 19 verses of this chapter should be studied by all of us, especially as a great model of repentance and confession of sin. Daniel 9. But I've always liked the first three verses, especially as they affirm the truthfulness of God's Word and Daniel's complete trust in that word. Notice what we read. Daniel nine versus one to three in the first year of Darius. This is another king, the son of a hash. You are as of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans or the Babylonians in the first year of his reign. I Daniel understood by the books. the number of the year specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah, the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. The result, having received that knowledge, then I set my face towards the Lord God to make requests by prayer and supplications with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. Well, again, verses 1 and 2. I think what's so amazing about these verses is, again, they show Daniel's complete trust in the Word of God. Jeremiah the prophet had foretold that the end of the exile would occur in a 70-year period, which Daniel, at this point, was getting towards that point. And Daniel fully expected, based upon the Word of God, that this is exactly what would happen. Daniel called Jeremiah's writings the Word of the Lord. And this is because all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. There's another thought here that I want to tease out for a moment, and it is the fact that we see Daniel reading Scripture, that we see Daniel reading Scripture. We think about Daniel. I mean, who was he? Well, he was a high-ranking official. He received direct revelation from God. He was in exile. And therefore, he probably could justify himself saying, well, why do I need to read the scripture? I'm the great Daniel. I get direct revelation from God. Obviously, his favors upon me. But friends, we don't see this disposition at all in Daniel. Daniel was a man of God who loved the word of God. And there he is reading Jeremiah's book and being blessed by it. Daniel was a man who was in the scripture. And he never gave an excuse for not being in the Word of God. I'm the Prime Minister. I don't really need the Bible. No. He was in the Word of God. He believed the Word of God. Brethren, we need to be like Daniel in this. In the Scripture. Not making excuses, but reading the Word of God. He had every excuse in the world. Every reason in the world not to be in the Bible. But here he is, reading God's truth and believing God's truth. I like what Matthew Henry says regarding this point. Henry writes, quote, though Daniel himself was a great prophet and one that was well acquainted with the visions of God, yet he was a diligent student in the scriptures and thought it not disparagement to him to consult Jeremiah's prophecy. Daniel was a great politician and the prime minister of state to one of the largest monarchs on the earth. and yet he could find both heart and time to converse with God from the Word of God. Henry writes, quote, the greatest and best men in the world must not think themselves above their Bibles, to which I say amen. We need to be people of the book, brethren, just like Daniel, reading it, pouring over it, believing all that God has said To us, brothers and sisters, whether young or old, God has given us his word for our good. Therefore, let us not despise his good gifts to us. Well, next, then consider with me the Christology of this book, the Christology of the book of Daniel. Where do we find the Lord Jesus Christ in it? Well, Jesus is set forth in many places throughout the book of Daniel, for example, in chapter two and verse thirty five. I believe he's portrayed in the stone, which became a great mountain. and filled the whole earth speaks about Jesus spiritual kingdom and his universal rule over all things in 224 of Daniel describes Jesus eternal kingdom which will usher in the end of the age and shall consume all other kingdoms. The Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, the Romans, the point is, their kingdoms will go, but the spiritual kingdom of Christ shall know no end. In 713, Daniel also describes Jesus as coming back, as second coming, we read it tonight, as one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. Of course, you know Jesus in the Gospels refers to himself as the Son of Man coming with clouds of heaven. And then, of course, I believe that Jesus is the one who was with Daniel and his four friends in the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar looked down and said, there is a fourth one, and he looks like the Son of God. Now, having mentioned all these passages, I want to just look at one which I personally think is very important, and it's found in Daniel, chapter 9, verses 25 to 26. Now, some might be wondering why in the world would he go to that very difficult passage. to see anything out of it so much disagreement about this passage. However, let's look at it. Daniel 9 verses 25 to 26. This prophecy in summary brings us to the time of Christ when he would die for our sins. Well, Daniel 9, 25 to 26, we read the words would say no. Therefore, and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah. the prince there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks the streets shall be built again and the wall even in troublesome time verse 26 and after the 62 weeks Messiah Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood until the end of the war. Desolations are determined. So there are many things that could be said about these words. Obviously, however, just at bare minimum, I want to say. that they teach us that Jesus would die before the city of Jerusalem would once again be destroyed. And of course, this would happen in 70 A.D. by the Romans under the leadership of Again, note what we read in 26a. It says the Messiah will be cut off. That is, he will die a violent death, but not for himself. Of course not. It would be for others. He was our substitute. But after this we read the words of the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary and the end of it shall be with a flood and till the end of the war desolations are determined. So what's so important about these verses? Why do I highlight them now? And why do I believe these are especially important for us to understand when it comes to witnessing to Jewish people? Well, I believe again that they are important because they teach us that the Messiah has already come. They teach that Messiah would first die on behalf of his people, and then Jerusalem would be destroyed a second time. You understand, folks, the positioning of the verse. Jerusalem has already been destroyed. Right by the Babylonians, they laid the thing to waste. OK, so now the people are in Babylon and Daniel is prophesying about the city being destroyed again. However, before the city gets destroyed again, Messiah will come and die. The point Messiah came in the first century. He died for his people's sins. And then in 70 AD, the city was destroyed. So what does this mean for our Jewish friends? Jesus is the Messiah. That's what it means. It means that we don't need to be waiting for the Messiah to come. According to their own Bible, Messiah would come first and then the city would be destroyed. The city's already been destroyed the second time per Daniel. Therefore, Messiah has had to already come as Daniel himself said he would. I remember a Jewish man that I heard of, he read these words in his Jewish Hebrew Bible. And when he understood them, it sparked a light in his mind. The light bulb went off. According to Daniel, Messiah has got to come first before the city would be destroyed. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. The point. He's had to already come. And he has come. Jesus has come and he's died not for himself, but as a sacrifice for sinners. And when he saw these words, he understood that it was foolish for them to be looking into the future for Messiah to come. Because based on Daniel, he has already come. So I say, friends, this is a wonderful prophecy about Jesus, one that we should use when witnessing to our Jewish friends. Tell them, look at you're waiting for a Messiah. But Daniel said that he would come before the city would be destroyed in 70 AD. The city has been destroyed. The city was destroyed. Therefore, according to your Bible, Messiah must have come already. And bless God, he has come. His name is Jesus, the Lord. So having seen that in this book, its background, its setting, its major themes and purposes, key verses and Christology, consider with me finally for tonight its lessons and applications, and there are just two that I want to bring forth. Having seen this book, what else can I say besides what has already been set forth? Well, there are two things again, and the first is this. This book of Daniel teaches us that we need to pray for wisdom when it comes to living a godly life without compromise in a pagan world. We need to pray for wisdom because it's not an easy thing to do this, brothers and sisters. I say this because it's important for us to note that in chapter one of the book of Daniel, he and his friends wisely chose to negotiate, to negotiate the matter of eating the king's food rather than rebel against the king. We ought not to ever be rebelling as Christians, but rather we are to ask God for wisdom. Lord, help me to operate as a Christian in this situation. Think about work situations. Some of you in the secular world, there are a lot of times when You will be forced into a circumstance, a situation that's going to cause you to compromise your convictions. It's going to cause you to compromise your view of the Lord's Day. It's going to cause you to compromise all kinds of things. What are you going to do? You've got to pray. You've got to pray. One time when I was working at Singular Wireless or AT&T, depending on the time frame, they flipped back and forth as one bought the other. But I was there a couple of years, and they said, you have to start working on Sunday. And I said, well, I signed up for no Sundays. And they said, no, you have to. That group of people has to work on Sunday. I said, well, my conviction is that I can't do that. And I asked them to go find the paperwork. They weren't sure that that was the case. Go find the paperwork and look into it. And lo and behold, they found the paperwork when I signed the contract and they came back and said, well, you won't be working on Sunday. I said, that's right. And I was thankful. But I didn't rebel. I probably would have quit, though, if I had to work on Sunday. But the point being is that it was not just, all right, I'm out of here, but no, check the writing. see what I signed up for. And once they did, they knew they could not force me to work on Sunday. There was another time when I basically did something like Daniel and his friends did. I negotiated an opportunity and it worked in my favor. And I remember calling Pastor Dom and telling him what he said. He says, that sounds like what Daniel did and his friends. I said, well, the Lord gave me grace. To think through the situation, not to rebel or, again, start turning over tables at the workplace, etc., but to be wise as a Christian and to think through issues. Daniel suggested an experimental 10-day diet. And my point is that as we seek to live in this world without compromising our convictions, We're going to need to have wisdom from above. As I said earlier, it's not easy being a Christian in a pagan world. All these circumstances come before us, and even with our families, right? They're going to want us to compromise our convictions. How can we operate godly in this situation? Not just say, oh, well, we won't go to church and we'll be there. No. But can we set up another arrangement? Could we do this on Saturday? Could we do this on Monday? Using our brains, Lord, help me in this tight spot so that I don't waffle on your truths, but rather I honor you above all others. So lastly then, my way of application. Not only does this book teach us to pray to God for wisdom, how to live righteously in this present evil age, but it also teaches us the very important lesson that we need to be humble as God's people. Now, there's much that I can say about this matter of humility, but indeed, friends, it's a wonderful virtue to have. Our Lord Jesus Christ was humble of a meek spirit. And we are called to be like him. But, you know, sometimes as God's people, we're not humble. We're full of pride. And these things ought not be for us to profess godliness. And the reason why this application came to my mind is as I read this book this week, Nebuchadnezzar says in chapter 4 and verse 37, that those who walk in pride, God is able to put down. And it struck a fresh chord in my own heart. Lord, help me not to be prideful. God is able to put them down. Do we want God to humble us? Do we want to be made low by the hand of God? Oh, brethren, may it never be. May we be humble people, humble in mind, not high minded, but lowly in our own estimation and before others. Not a false humility, but a true sense of who we are before God. We're nothing before God. It's good for us to remind ourselves that we need to be humble people. Colossians 3, verse 12, we are called to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility as the elect of God, chosen, beloved of God. Put on humility. We are to clothe ourselves with humility. And as we're humble, God will give us grace because he resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. As we're humble in the church, it'll go far because we step on each other's toes, we say the wrong things, we look the wrong way, blah, blah, blah. That's just the case. Forgive me, brother, I'm sorry. In our homes, husbands and wives, be humble to each other. Please forgive me. Own what you've done wrong and go on. Children, siblings, be humble. Don't be high-minded. Walk lowly before others. May the Lord help us. May the Lord help us. Daniel was a humble man. He was a godly man. He was a man that we should seek to copy. in our own lives. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for these great servants of old. Indeed, O God, they are the ones of whom the world was not worthy. We thank you that we could learn from their examples. Thank you, Lord, for Daniel and how he lived in that godless context. And we pray, O God, that we, like Him, would never compromise Your truth. O God, help us. Help us, Lord, to stand strong on this evil day. And even, Lord, when many of the churches are compromising Your truths, may we stand strong. Help us, Lord, to be a people committed to our God. Might we, like Daniel, purpose in our hearts that we will live for You all of our days. Give us grace, O God, And in the midst of all these things, might we be humble and walk softly before you. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.